California Towing Laws: Your Rights When Your Car Is Towed
Primary law: Cal. Veh. Code § 22658 · Last verified July 2026. General information, not legal advice.
California has one of the strongest private-property towing statutes in the country. Vehicle Code § 22658 requires large, specific warning signs at every entrance before a trespass tow is valid, written authorization for each tow (blanket delegation to the tow company is generally prohibited), notification to local law enforcement within one hour, credit card acceptance at the storage yard, and storage within roughly a 10-mile radius of where the car was taken. Violations carry criminal penalties, fines, and civil liability of up to four times the towing and storage charges, which gives drivers real leverage against predatory operators.
Fees are capped: a private-property tow cannot cost more than what the tower charges under its local police towing contract or its CHP-approved rate schedule, whichever benchmark applies. If you catch the truck before it leaves the lot, the operator must release your car on the spot for no more than half the regular towing charge - and nothing if the car is not yet hooked up. Storage facilities must accept a valid credit card, and you can retrieve the personal property inside your vehicle. Unclaimed vehicles go through a DMV-supervised lien-sale process whose timeline depends on the vehicle's value.
If you are towed in California, call the local police or sheriff - the tower was required to report the tow within an hour, so dispatch can locate your car. At the yard, pay by credit card if useful, demand an itemized invoice, and compare it to the CHP-approved or police-contract rates. Photograph the lot's signage and your paperwork. If signage was missing, authorization was improper, or you were overcharged, send a written demand and consider small claims court, where the four-times-damages provision applies; also report the operator to local police and your city or county consumer protection office.
California towing rules at a glance
| Non-consent tow fee cap | Yes — Private-property tow charges may not exceed the greater of the rates charged under the tower's local law-enforcement towing agreement or its CHP-approved rates (Veh. Code § 22658(i)). |
| Drop fee (truck still on scene) | Yes — If the owner returns after hookup but before the car leaves the property, the operator may charge no more than one-half of the regular towing charge and must release the vehicle (Veh. Code § 22658(h)). |
| Kickback ban | Yes |
| Warning signage required | Yes — Lots must post signs at least 17 by 22 inches with one-inch lettering at each entrance stating that public parking is prohibited, vehicles will be removed at the owner's expense, and giving the telephone contact information required by § 22658(a). |
| Notice requirement | The towing company must notify local law enforcement within one hour of authorization of the tow, or within 15 minutes of arriving at the storage facility, whichever is sooner (Veh. Code § 22658(f), (m)). |
| Personal property retrieval | Yes |
| Credit cards must be accepted | Yes |
| Right to challenge the tow | Yes — Owners can sue for wrongful private-property tows and recover up to four times the towing and storage charges (§ 22658(j)); vehicles stored at police direction carry a separate post-storage hearing right under Veh. Code § 22852. |
| Hold period before sale | lien-sale process through DMV (timeline varies by vehicle value) |
How to get your car back in California
- Call local police or the sheriff's non-emergency line to find your car - towers must report private-property tows within one hour.
- If you catch the tow in progress, ask for release on the spot: maximum charge is half the regular tow rate before the truck leaves the lot.
- Bring ID, get an itemized invoice, and pay by credit card - yards must accept cards.
- Photograph the lot's entrance signs and keep all paperwork; compare charges to CHP-approved or police-contract rates.
- If the tow was improper or overpriced, demand a refund in writing and sue in small claims court for up to four times the charges.
Where to complain about an illegal tow
Local law enforcement / city or county consumer protection; California Attorney General handles towing complaints in California. Keep your receipt, photos of any signage (or lack of it), and notes on dates and times — they decide most fee disputes.
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